1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic devices and more particularly to over-voltage protection.
2. Related Art
Semiconductor devices comprising a semiconductor die or chip are easily affected or destroyed by over-voltage events. Examples of over-voltage events include electrostatic discharge (ESD), line transients, and lightening strikes. Electrostatic discharge commonly occurs when a person carrying a static charge touches a semiconductor device. Line transients include power surges on AC power lines, and can also be caused by events such as closing a switch or starting a motor.
Voltage switchable dielectric materials, also known as nonlinear resistance materials, are materials that normally behave as dielectric materials, but upon application of a sufficient voltage, known as a switch voltage, will rapidly become electrically conductive. The ability of voltage switchable dielectric materials to switch between non-conductive and conductive states makes these materials well suited for over-voltage protection applications. One requirement for most applications, however, is that the voltage switchable dielectric material cannot appreciably leak current below the normal operating voltage of the device in which the voltage switchable dielectric material is employed.
A common method for manufacturing voltage switchable dielectric materials is to fill a polymer with a high level of metal particles to very near the percolation threshold, typically more than 40% by volume. Unfortunately, voltage switchable dielectric materials manufactured in this way can begin to leak current at normal operating voltages. Also, manufacturing such voltage switchable dielectric materials can be problematic. The metal particles must be uniformly dispersed throughout the polymer and small concentration variations can significantly diminish the properties or produce unacceptable variations in electrical properties. While uniformity can be improved with long mixing times, long mixing times are undesirable for numerous reasons including the cost.